Heading into the final event of Bellator Fighting Championships third season, Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard and Japanese superstar Megumi Fujii were considered near-locks by MMA oddsmakers.

Only Lombard would deliver.

The Cuban judoka outlasted a gutsy Alexander Shlemenko to successfully defend his 185-pound belt in the featured bout of Thursday’s Bellator 34 event, but Fujii was shocked by Zoila Frausto in a somewhat contentious decision that saw the “Warrior Princess” claim Bellator’s first-ever 115-pound title.

The middleweights faced off in the evening’s main event, and Lomard looked every bit as dangerous in the opening minutes as he had in his two previous sub-40 second victories. “Shango” walked forward like a terminator while firing massive hooks from all angles.

“Storm” was battered early, but he wasn’t beaten. The Russian continued to scramble and move and nearly secured an armbar after sweeping Lombard from top position. It was not to be, and a large hematoma on Shlemenko’s forehead told the story of the frame.

For the remaining 20 minutes, it was obvious Lombard was fighting with a depleted gas tank. The torrid pace of the opening round was gone, and in its place was a stalking Lombard who was able to take the fight to the floor nearly at will but offered precious little threat on the feet. Once on the ground, he had a difficult time maintaining positioning or attacking with a submission, but he left little doubt as to who was winning the contest.

Shlemenko tried in vain to score a Hail Mary win in the final round. A spinning backfist landed on the button, as did a two-punch combination to the chin. Lombard simply walked through the blows and held on until the final bell.

All three judges awarded Lombard (27-2-1 MMA, 6-0 BFC) the fight 49-46, as the 32-year-old successfully defended his middleweight title for the first time. Following the win, Lombard called out Strikeforce champ Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in a contest that is unlikely to take place any time soon.

With a stunning 18 submission wins in her 22 previous career contests, Japanese superstar and top pound-for-pound fighter Fujii was expected to utilize her superior ground game to nullify the potent striking attack of the “Warrior Princess,” Frausto.

She did so for exactly 33 seconds.

For the remaining 24 minutes and 27 seconds of the five-round affair, Fujii appeared all too willing to earn Bellator’s first-ever 115-pound female title by taking on Frausto in a kickboxing contest. The curious strategy, coupled with a capable counterattack and ample takedown defense spelled disaster for “Mega Megu.”

In the early going, Fujii’s odd approach actually seemed to be working in her favor. A powerful left hand sent Frausto tumbling to the canvas, but Fujii declined to follow to the floor where most MMA pundits expected her to earn victory. Frausto recovered well, and though she appeared to be defending throughout the frame and pinned against the cage, she did deliver a stunning high kick and right hand follow-up.

The fight carried on much the same in rounds two and three. Frausto was backing up for the majority of the contest, though her counterattacks found their mark on occasion. Fujii wasn’t able to land any homerun shots, but she did appear to at least be controlling the center of the cage.

Fujii finally turned to her grappling game in the fourth round, but it was only a feeble trip attempt that Frausto turned aside with ease. When the round ended, both fighters were battered and bruised, and little had been decided.

The fifth round was again close, but Fujii finally scored the takedown many predicted she would enjoy in the bout’s opening minutes. It came with just 33 seconds left in the fight, and Fujii had no time to capitalize on the position. Nevertheless, it was certainly enough to believe she took the round.

It wasn’t enough.

When the two fighters were brought to the center of the cage, Frausto was awarded the razor-thin and wildly scored split decision, 48-47, 47-48 and 49-46.

With the win, Frausto (9-1 MMA, 3-0 BFC) claims Bellator’s first-ever 115-pound title, defeats the woman widely considered the pound-for-pound best in the sport and improves her record to 6-1 in 2010.

Meanwhile, Fujii tastes defeat for the first time in 23 professional contests.

Fighting for the first time in the U.S., Tesanovic flashed a dangerous left hand on a few occasions, but he was hesitant to unleash it enough to land any real damage. Meanwhile, Bernhard was also hesitant to extend himself beyond his comfort zone and was forced to settle for cage control as his means of victory.

Bernhard’s best moment came in the closing seconds of the second round – ironically, a frame he likely lost on two of the three judges’ score cards. Bernhard used a well-timed takedown secure top position over his Serbian opponent, and from there “El Gringo Diablo” took the back and tried to lock in a fight-ending choke. The bell sounded before he could finish the move.

The third frame was slow to develop, but Bernhard again controlled the pace and position while doing just enough to edge out Tesanovic and earn a unanimous-decision win. Bernhard (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BFC) has now won five consecutive fights, while Tesanovic (7-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) loses for the first time in his career.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.